Paused
by Zeakari
Summary: A story that happens for no apparent reason after The Girl Who Cried Gnome. Dib still has his foot stuck and Zim is getting bored.


Paused

Disclaimer: I don't own Invader Zim

"Ah, Dib," the alien smirked down at the boy, groggily sitting up from lying on the ground. "You're still stuck in my lawn, I see."

"Can it, Zim," the boy growled, brushing himself off a bit. His foot had been stuck in a hole in the alien's yard all weekend and Monday had finally come. Yet, he was still stuck. Of course, he hadn't been sitting idly by while the days passed him. He had been trying to dig his foot out, though the robot beaver, currently beat boxing while doing freestyle moves, bit his hands whenever he touched the ground around it. He didn't even really realize he had passed out until Zim walked out the door just then.

Zim snickered at the boy's misfortune, much as he did every morning and every night for the past few days. The alien had made a point to leave with his Voot Cruiser for extended periods of time and come back with a triumphant grin on his face. Unbeknownst to the boy, Zim was really just taking a brake and riding aimlessly around, mostly scaring people for fun. He was actually taking a break, seeing as the boy could do nothing to stop him from doing anything.

"Absolute control over where you are gives me such pleasure, Dib-worm," Zim said, adjusting his wig a bit as he goose-stepped down to the sidewalk. "I'll be going to skool, now. Watch GIR for me, will ya?"

The alien cackled, his voice fading away as he left. GIR chose that moment to walk outside, disguised, and started to play in the yard with a Babe Doll and his ever faithful, squeaking pig. He frowned as he watched the insane robot show him a little play. It involved the doll sticking one of its legs into the pig's nose, then rocketing off to some unknown planet where love is in the air constantly and peanuts are plentiful. GIR was in tears when he finished the play for him and bawled his eyes out.

"That was so… beautiful!" the robot sobbed, tossing aside the doll and hugging the toy pig tightly.

Dib glared angrily down at the Babe Doll, having gone temporarily mad from listening to the costumed creature's inane babbling. He picked up the doll, holding it by its legs, and continuously smashed its head into the dirt, pretending it was Zim. After a few moments of doing this, he felt a bit better with himself. He stared at his handiwork, the doll's hair ruined beyond repair, and suddenly got an idea.

He flipped the doll over, holding onto its head, and dug its feet into the ground near his leg. The beaver didn't make a move, continuing with its ballroom dancing with GIR. Dib quickly dug himself free and leapt out of the ground in joy. He was so happy he decided to do the Macarena with the two robots.

Suddenly, the boy was startled awake as GIR jumped onto his head, screaming, "THE END!" It laughed hysterically before latching onto his head and asking. "Did you like my play?" Just before Dib could answer, the robot squealed. "Huh? DIDJA?"

"Shut up!" Dib snapped. The robot looked up at him, its literal puppy eyes widening adorably and filling with tears. The boy started to feel a bit nervous as the robot stared at him. "Oh… sorry," he grumbled, not believing he was actually apologizing to the enemy. GIR smiled and licked his face before running inside the house, dancing the whole way. "Yech," Dib grumbled, rubbing the spit off of his face before going back to sulking.

He adjusted his position to be a little more comfortable. He wished he had brought a watch with him. It was almost maddening, not knowing what was going on with his enemy and when he was going to return and torment him again.

What was going on within that demented, evil, diabolical alien's mind?

Unbeknownst to Dib, that demented, evil, diabolical alien was currently bored out of his mind.

Zim groaned as his eyes glazed over from lack of brain function. The teacher, Miss Bitters, was rambling on about fish and how if they taste human blood, they'd crave for more. His eyes lazily swept over the room. A few students had taken out video games or were writing notes to each other without the teacher's notice. Still a few more had fallen asleep. The alien wondered why he didn't join then in their unconscious state.

His eyes finally fell upon the empty desk across the room. Obviously, the desk belonged to the Dib. It was because of the desk's lack of its occupant that he was so bored. He had nobody to glare at, to throw things at, or to insult.

It was great that he could take a break, yes, but he wasn't one to do nothing for too long. He could make an attempt at annihilating the Earth if he wanted, but without the boy as an obstacle to overcome, it would take the fun out of it.

He remembered not too long ago when, if Dib were in the situation he was now, he would have destroyed the planet in a heartbeat. He slammed his head onto his desk, groaning. _Why_? he thought to himself pathetically. If he were an idiot with a death wish he would have screamed BORED! at the top of his lungs. But since he was well aware of what the teacher would do if he were to do so, he decided not to.

"In conclusion," Miss Bitters said, putting her lecture to an end. "Don't bleed."

Dib, deciding to take his dream's advice, reached over to the Babe Doll. He couldn't reach it, though. He glanced around for GIR and was frustrated to see that it wasn't around. He frowned and reached as hard as he could. Just as his fingers brushed against the doll's feet, something slammed into his back.

"MY WIFE!" GIR shrieked at the top of his lungs, snatching the doll from the ground. "I miss-ed oo!" he cooed rubbing it up to his face as he hugged it. He ran off, laughing like an idiot. Dib groaned in frustration.

A few hours later in the nightmarish hell known as skool, the bell finally rang, releasing the children once more into the world… at least until the next day. Zim stumbled outside, holding an icepack to his eye. During lunch he had gotten some of the skool's food in it and it caused a horrible burning reaction. He wasn't sure what it was or how they considered it food, but he vowed he would destroy whatever produced it.

He began his long walk to the base. After a time, he made it to the cul de sac. He tossed the bag on the ground since it had melted by then. He entered his yard and felt smug satisfaction to see his prisoner still there. He felt, also, the unfamiliar tinge of guilt. He could keep the boy there for as long as he wanted since GIR threw food at him on a regular basis. Something made him decide differently, though.

He really, and I mean _really_, did not want to set the boy free. But the problem was, he was _bored_. He did _not_ want to have to endure another torturously boring day at skool. Once was enough, thank you very much, but _more_? No way.

Zim stomped over to the boy.

Dib looked up in surprise, not having seen Zim enter the yard. The alien was advancing on him with a slightly crazed look in his eyes. He jumped up, wincing as his stiff legs creaked in protest. He stood awkwardly, his right leg being in a hole and all. Zim stepped in front of the boy and glared down at him, his eye twitching.

Zim enjoyed being above the boy like this, even if it wasn't by a lot, but he had a task to do.

Dib gasped when the alien's hand shot out, but he was surprised when it didn't reach for him. Instead, his claw-like hands gripped at the robot-beaver's neck tightly. He reached up and pressed its robotic eye. The eye depressed like a button and the mechanical animal shut down.

The boy gaped for a moment. It had been that easy to escape from the creature's bite? He could have just reached out and poked it in the eye and it would turn off? He would've yelled in frustration if he hadn't been wondering about one thing.

Why had Zim, his sworn enemy, helped him from his own trap?

"There," the alien muttered before walking inside his base, his nonexistent nose held high. He slammed the door shut, startling Dib out of his contemplation.

The boy just stood there for a moment, his eyes wide, before he dropped to the ground, digging frantically at the dirt around his leg. In a matter of minutes, the boy was finally free. He tore his leg out, nearly losing is boot, and rubbed the feeling back into it. He winced at the stinging needles and the sensation of bugs crawling underneath his skin. It took him a moment before he could move again, but when he could, he ran like crazy to his home.

Zim watched him go from the window and chuckled darkly to himself. "The game unpauses," he hissed before bursting into an all-out maniacal cackle.

The End

Author's Note: I got this idea the other day while my youngest sister started watching The Girl Who Cried Gnome. I wondered quietly to myself, how _did_ Dib get out of that hole? The result was this story, as you can see.


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